As the weather cools down here in the Valley, you’re probably seeing less pest activity inside of your home. Don’t take this to mean you should lower your defenses! To the contrary, now’s the perfect time of year to start getting your home ready for summer and keeping pests out. Sealing your home this winter just makes sense.

Benefits of sealing your home

#1. Eliminates points of entry

Many pests can fit through a tight squeeze. The Arizona Bark Scorpion, for instance, can squeeze between spaces as thick as a credit card. If you’re going to block pests from getting into the living spaces of your home, you’re going to need some expert help.

That’s where we come into the picture. Our home sealing specialists are experts when it comes to identifying pest points of entry and how to best seal them for deterrence.

Every home’s pest situation is unique. There are, however, some common ways that pests use to get into people’s homes. Here’s just a few:

Unsealed doors or windows

Openings around pipes or faucets

Torn screens

Cracks in walls and foundations

Broken screens or mesh on weep holes

By addressing these pest superhighways into your home, you can prevent a lot of pests from getting in, leading to a better, pest-free summer.

#2. Save energy and improves your air

Air leaks are a major cause of energy loss in the home. You spend a lot of money cooling your home in the summer and heating it in the winter: wouldn’t it be better for some of that money to stay in your pocket? By sealing air leaks around doors, windows, and elsewhere, our team can help you keep your home comfortable for less.

Plus, sealing these entry points will help keep your indoor air pollen- and dust-free. That means easier breathing for you and your family when you’re enjoying time inside the house.

#3. A thorough and effective form of pest control

Arizona’s Best Choice Pest and Termite Services works hard to comprehensively seal your home. Our state-certified pest control technicians inspect your home, close spaces between doorways and windows, and seal cracks and crevices. All-in-all, the 21-step process includes the use of wire mesh, caulk, and weather stripping. It’s individualized to your home, which means we inspect for pest points of entry and then deal with them, one-by-one.

Contact us for a quote

Shut off your home to pests while also boosting your energy-efficiency and improving your indoor air quality. Call the team at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services today to schedule your free pest inspection and talk more with our techs about our home sealing service.

Termites can cause thousands of dollars in property damage in a short amount of time, causing them to be one of a homeowner’s worst nightmares. These small insects eat wood and can cause substantial damage to the structure of a building. Termite damage typically is not detected immediately, but there are 3 major signs you have termites in your home. We’ll review these signs in this blog post.

Checking your home periodically for signs of termites could help you discover an infestation before the damage becomes severe. Of course, the best way to know for sure that you do or do not have a termite infestation is to contact the team at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services. We offer free in-home inspections and estimates in the Valley and Casa Grande.

Here are the signs of termites:

#1. Clicking noises

If there are termites hidden deep within your walls, chances are you won’t be able to see them. But, you may be able to hear them. The fact that they create hollow tunnels and caverns in walls while leaving a thin layer of wood at the surface allows them to go undetected for months.

As termites eat wood, their mandibles make soft clicking noises. When this sound is multiplied by the several thousand insects that belong to a single colony, it because audible when you listen carefully. If you hear a clicking sound when your house is quiet, your home may have a termite problem.

#2. Termite tubes

Another major indicator of termites is the presence of brown clay shelter tubes. Termites build these structures along foundation walls and use them to find food, protect themselves from predators, and travel through a building.

These tubes are small and narrow when a colony first builds them, but the tubes are widened over time. The wider the shelter tubes, the more damage has been done to your home. Having your home inspected annually by Arizona’s Best Choice Pest and Termite Service is a great way to discover termite tubes before the insects cause much damage.

However, you can also do a quick check at home. Walk around your home and look at the foundation for any mud tubes. Then, go into the attic and use a flashlight to look at the wood beams. Termites will often make mud tubes to travel between beams.

#3. Hollow wood or sagging floors

One of the most obvious termite warning signs is the presence of hollow wood. The insects leave huge, hollow caverns in wood, causing severe structural damage. You can check for this by periodically tapping the walls of your house. If you’re tapping studs and the sound being returned is hollow, it could be an early alert to termite damage.

Do you have a basement or a second floor? This same hollowing out of support beams could lead to sagging floors on either your ground floor or second floor. The presence of a sagging floor is a major, dangerous indicator of a termite infestation.

If you’re seeing signs you have termites, call us!

Based on these tips, if you suspect that you have a termite problem, contact us at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services. We’re proud to offer termite treatment options throughout the Phoenix metro and Casa Grande, and we offer free pest inspections and estimates.

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/termite-control-phoenix-cover.jpg720960azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2018-10-15 08:31:592018-10-15 08:31:59Here are the 3 major signs you have termites in your home

A termite infestation in your home is very bad news. The sooner you can detect a termite invasion, however, the more likely that you can minimize the damage these insects will do your home. That’s why it’s important for Arizona homeowners to be aware of the signs of a termite infestation.

Detecting any damage

Many homeowners first realize they have a termite problem when they see damage caused by the insects. If you notice any of the following, it’s time to schedule a termite inspection:

Many tiny holes in the wood (about the size of a nail)

Fissures or cracks in the wood

Small tunnels made from mud or soil on the home’s foundation

Sagging, drooping, or discolored drywall

Peeling paint

Buckling or blistered wood or laminate floorboards

Loose tile

Doors or windows that are difficult to open

Wood with a hollow sound or honeycomb appearance

Quiet clicking sounds in the walls

In addition to structural damage, you might also find piles of discarded termite wings that look like fish scales, mounds of termite droppings, or even live swarms of the insects. Some termite species shed their wings when they mature.

The live bugs look almost like ants but range in color from white-to-light brown. The droppings are a dark brown or black powder that collects on the outside of the termite tunnels.

Preventing a termite infestation

You can take a few proactive steps to lessen the chances that termites will decide to set up shop at your property. Here’s a few things to watch out for:

Remove wood and dead trees from your yard or property.

Keep firewood and construction materials in a dedicated shed, as far from your house as possible.

Build outdoor structures with treated wood, which repels termites.

Spread landscaping mulch away from your home’s foundation.

When possible, direct the flow of water (from your hose or irrigation) away from the foundation of your home, so that the soil near your foundation is consistently dry.

Be sure to check out this article for more on the signs of a termite infestation.

Dealing with the signs of a termite infestation

A professional inspection by an experienced termite specialist is the best course of action if you suspect you have termites. However, any existing signs of termite damage may mean that the problem is already well-entrenched. If you’re concerned about termites, you may even want to schedule an annual inspection and preventive treatment.

Call in the experts at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services

Call us here at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services to schedule a free termite inspection. We have been serving homeowners in Phoenix and Casa Grande for more than 20 years, and have more than 7,000 loyal clients who will speak to our effective treatments and outstanding customer service.

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/termites-final.png6811024azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2018-09-17 07:55:192018-09-17 07:55:19Here's how you can spot the signs of a termite infestation

When you call us to service your home, you want to know that our pest technicians will take care of you, your home, and your family. At Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services, you know we will value you as a customer because of how we value everyone we employ.

In this blog, we’ll review some of the ways that we treat our employees, and why you should call our pest technicians for your pest control needs.

Why do people love working for us?

At the end of the day, our business is not about a number and a dollar sign. It is about people building lives for their families. Each of our pest technicians is working to create a meaningful life in and around their career.

People love working for Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services for many reasons:

We prepare our employees for success. With extensive training and support, they are equipped to grow professionally and personally.

Our technicians take pride in the work they do and the company they work for.

Why should employee satisfaction matter to customers?

Simply put, a company has a personality and habits in the same way people do. When a business treats their employees unfairly, they will not have their clients’ best interests in mind, either. We invest in the success of our staff through training, stability, and support.

This is also an investment in our customers, because happy workers who are well-trained and taken care of will go above-and-beyond for our clients. Our business is like a family. The strong bond between us and our pest control techs, makes us want to take care of each other and work together to make our customers happy.

Schedule your free inspection from our great pest technicians!

At Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services, we have a deep desire to give the best quality of work to each and every customer. Whether you want your home treated for scorpions, termites, or other pests, we have the most effective tools around.

Native to the Sonoran Desert, the Arizona bark scorpion is light brown in color and very small. Some homeowners in Arizona may come up against this pest on a regular basis, so it’s important to be educated about scorpions and know when it’s time to contact a professional for help getting rid of them.

Things to know about scorpions:

1. They eat other pests around and in your home

The scorpion is in or around your home to eat spiders and insects. They can go days without food but must have access to water regularly to survive.

2. Bark scorpions are nocturnal

This type of scorpion sleeps during the day and is active at night. This doesn’t mean that you won’t see them during the day if you accidentally stumble upon where they are hiding on. They prefer to hide under wood, debris, or rocks outside, and may also make a home in a tree somewhere on your property.

3. They can enter your home easily

The bark scorpion prefers to be outside hiding under rocks and logs, but may enter your house looking for prey in the summer when it’s hot. They get into the home through voids in the walls and can squeeze into tiny spaces.

4. They are easy to find

One of the lesser known facts about Arizona bark scorpion is that they glow in UV light. If you are hunting for scorpions, purchase a blacklight at your local hardware store and watch for them to glow.

5. They can be very dangerous

If you are stung by a scorpion, you could feel acute pain for up to three days. The affected area may also be numb and tingle for a while. Although fatalities are extremely rare, some people report convulsions and allergic reactions to scorpion bites.

Stings from the bark scorpion are extremely painful, and children and pets are more likely to experience life-threatening problems from them. If you or someone close to you has been bit by a scorpion, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention.

Call us for to schedule a free inspection

At Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services, we know all about scorpions, how they enter homes, and—most importantly—how to remove them safely. Contact us today to schedule a consultation

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/How-to-Find-Scorpions-Hiding-In-Your-Homes.jpg218302azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2018-06-18 07:39:072018-06-18 07:39:075 facts you should know about the Arizona bark scorpion

We’ve previously written about summer pests in Phoenix. However, just because temperatures are dropping as we enter winter doesn’t mean you can rest easy. There are multiple types of winter pests in Phoenix that you need to be aware of.

In this blog post, we’ll review five of the most common types of winter pests here in the Valley, and what you should do to deal with each of them.

The top 5 winter pests in Phoenix

Here are five of the most common winter pestsin Phoenix. If you spot these creepy-crawlies, call Arizona’s Best Pest & Termite Services for professional pest prevention and treatment.

1. Spiders

Spiders seek out the warmth of your home during the winters here in the Valley. Many spiders are harmless. The cellar spider—commonly known as the “Daddy Long-Legs Spider” in the United States—is an example of a spider that poses no threat to humans, but is a predator to other insects. Unless you’re an arachnophobe, we recommend leaving them be.

The same is not true for two other species: the black widow and the brown recluse, both found here in Arizona. These spiders love to make their winter homes in Phoenix garages, attics, and other secluded spaces. As venomous species, both can pose a threat to you and your family.

If you spot either the black widow—one of the most recognizable spiders in the world—or the brown recluse, call Arizona’s Best Choice for service.

2. Ants

Ants are less active outside during the winter, as they tend to hibernate under the ground during the colder months. However, once inside your home, ants feel the warmth and begin to start their foraging behaviors. In this way, ants can be one of the more surprising winter pests in Phoenix.

A winter ant infestation is typically a sign that the colony is well-built and somewhere in close proximity to your home. Give us a call for a free pest inspection, and we’ll advise you on the best way to deal with the ants.

3. Termites

This is the big one. Winters in Phoenix, Arizona are termite season, as it’s when termites are most active. Elsewhere around North America, nightly frosts can claim the lives of entire termite colonies. However, the mild winter weather here in the Valley and the warmth of your home is enough for the termites to thrive and multiply.

Termites require immediate treatment from a professional team. Left to their own devices, drywood termites can damage or destroy your home. Look for the signs of subterranean termites in your home, and then give us a call for a free termite inspection.

4. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are primarily a summer pest in Phoenix. However, drawn in by the warmth of your home, they may also be seen in the winter in your house. Besides being completely disgusting, roaches carry a large number of microbial pathogens, including salmonella, streptococcus, and Staphylococcus.

If you suspect your home has roaches, call in our team—even in the colder months, roaches can multiply and become a big headache for you and your home.

5. Small Rodents

Small rodents, such as mice and rats, are also active inside the house during the winters. These pests can seek shelter inside the house to avoid the cold. Much like roaches, rodents pose a health risk because of the different pathogens they carry. You need to be vigilant when the weather changes and temperature decreases.

Contact Arizona’s Best Pest for pest control services in Phoenix

For affordable and effective control of winter pests in Phoenix, Arizona, contact the team here at Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite Services. We have highly experienced and professional pest control experts who can eliminate all types of pests around the house.

To get in contact with us, call us at (480) 986-8500 or contact us online.

Pests are gross. There’s little disagreement on that subject. You don’t want them in your house, period. In this blog, we’ll discuss six ways to help ensure that you have a pest-free home. Here are our tips:

#1. Keep your entire house clean

The best and the most reliable way to get a pest-free house is to keep your home clean. An unclean and cluttered house can become an incubator for pests. Pests thrive in such conditions.

Make sure that you clean your house every day or every other day. Mop your floors with disinfectants weekly. Dry clean your carpets, rugs, and curtains every few months. Keep up with all these cleaning routines, and your home is less likely to face any pest problems.

#2. A clean kitchen increases your chances of a pest-free home

Kitchens are among the favorite places for pests to flourish and spread. Kitchens have a slightly higher temperature than the rest of the house, they have more moisture, and there is food there. All of these combine to give insects and vermin an ideal place to call home.

Don’t leave your kitchen cabinets and counters soggy or covered in food. Make sure that you are not leaving any unwashed dishes in your kitchen sink overnight because it will lead to infestation. Also keep all the food items in air tight jars in the kitchen. Cleaning all the clutter from your kitchen is also important because it will give pests fewer places to hide.

#3. Look out for cracks and openings

No matter how clean your house is, if there are even small cracks in and around your house, then the time is not far away when your house will be hosting unwanted guests. Make sure to seal and close all such openings, otherwise all your cleaning efforts will go in vain. Arizona’s Best Pest & Termite offers home sealing services.

#4. Take care of your pet’s health

Taking care of your pets is also an important, as well. Having them scheduled for regular veterinary appointments will help keep them free from any infestation. Some of these infestations could spread around the house and compromise your health, too.

In addition, don’t keep pet food in the open where it is easily accessible to pests.

#5. Dispose of garbage regularly

Pests love garbage. And if you are not disposing your household garbage daily, you are inviting rats, cockroaches, and more to come into your house. You don’t want that!

#6. Know when to wave the white flag and call Arizona’s Best Pest & Termite for a pest-free home

Even after doing all the preventive measures listed above, there’s still a chance that your house can get infested with pests. If you notice that usual do-it-yourself pest control techniques aren’t working, then it’s time to call a professional pest control company.

If you suspect you have pests, give our team a call. We offer free pest control inspections in the Phoenix metro area, and we can provide you with professional pest and termite control services. We have specialized treatments for a number of different pests.

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1.png6661000azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2017-08-21 10:21:592017-08-21 10:21:59Here are six ways to ensure a pest-free home

The treatments from AZ Best Pest are effective at eliminating pests. So is sealing your home. However, if you really want to ensure that pests get out and stay out, combining traditional pest control methods and pesticide with a home seal can make a real difference. In this post, your friends at AZ Best Pest explain how home sealing and regular treatment are a match made in heaven—a bug-free heaven, that is!

Pesticide treatment eliminates pests in your home

A traditional and well-known form of pest control, pesticide treatment is an effective way to kill pests that are in your home, from roaches and silverfish to crickets and ants. For predatory pests such as bark scorpions, using pesticide will kill off pretty supplies and encourage them to leave. Overall, insecticides are still a popular method of pest control for one reason: they work and help guarantee a pest-free future for your home.

That’s why AZ Best Pest uses Demand CS. Specially formulated for use by leading pest control agencies and companies, Demand CS is up to 200 times as powerful as your normal, run-of-the-mill pest control. Yet, it’s still safe for pets and children to be around after it dries. Demand CS is great for use in Arizona, since it’s especially resistant to UV rays and is formulated to stand up to even the most torrential downpours.

Our technicians thoroughly treat all areas of your home, including the exterior and interior. We get the places that are hard-to-reach, yet make perfect homes for pests. We use a combination of sprays and granules to target different types of pests.

Home sealing prevents re-entry

Home sealing involves having a pest control professional use caulking, weather stripping, wire mesh, and an assortment of other supplies and tools to “seal” off your home, blocking common pest entry points. In most cases, pests such as bark scorpions can squeeze between spaces as thin as a credit card. We’ll block those points of entry, but it’s also worth noting that most pests often find the easiest way in. In fact, they may even be “polite” enough to use the front door, waltzing in through a gap between the frame and the door itself.

It’s all part of the AZ Best Pest process

With home sealing as your first line of defense and pest control as your second one, pests don’t stand a chance. Those already in your home and walls will succumb to the treatment, while new ones won’t be able to move in and take their place.

The best part? All of this is already included in the AZ Best Pest home sealing process! We not only seal your home’s entry points, but we also apply treatments throughout the interior and exterior, including in often-overlooked places such as the attic.

If you’re looking to give cockroaches, crickets, or scorpions the permanent boot, give AZ Best Pest a call. Our trained and experienced technicians can help you evict your unwanted residents with a combination of proven treatments.

Phoenicians have a lot to dread when summer rolls around. It’s the end of the Sonoran Desert’s beautiful weather, and temperatures begin to creep up into the triple digits. It’s the start of hot “grill-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk” days. Unfortunately, the heat also tends to bring out every insect conceivable. Arizona summers are officially scorpion season.

Don’t panic. While AZ Best Choice Pest Control can’t do much about the heat outside, we can help keep the pests confined outside of your home. Give us a call to schedule your free pest inspection from central Arizona’s pest control experts.

Why do pests love summer so much?

Many different pests are less active in the winter. Creatures such as roaches and crickets enter your home seeking both food and water. In the summer, there is more competition for both, and other predators are present that chase them into your home.

During the winter, the Arizona Bark Scorpion, for example, enters hibernation. Joining about thirty other scorpions for warmth, these pests will find a warm place to nest for the season, and then emerge again in the summer. That’s not to say that you won’t find a stray scorpion here-or-there between September and April. It’s just not peak season.

What kind of pests can I expect to see in the summer?

What’s effective at stopping insects?

The technicians at AZ Best Pest use a powerful, advanced treatment known as Demand CS. It’s 200 times more powerful than a store-bought pesticide, and it doesn’t break down under the strain of UV rays or when hit by rain. In fact, this treatment can bar insects from your home for an entire season.

How can I deal with scorpions in my home?

Give AZ Best Pest a call, and we will schedule a free home inspection with you to identify where scorpions may be hiding and how they can be dealt with. Unlike other pests, insecticides do not impact scorpions as much, beyond making them more sluggish and restrained in their movements. However, effective pest control that kills off the scorpion’s food supply of crickets, ants, and roaches in your home will also deter scorpions from entering, as will blocking their easy pathways.

What can I do for a better defense?

If you’re ready to stop the onslaught of pests that starts in May, talk to AZ Best Pest about our 21-step home sealing program. This process involves us inspecting your home and then sealing off all common entry points to the inside, such as doors, windows, and vents. For those who are truly serious about denying pests entry, combining a home seal with regular pest control and pest-prevention techniques will likely get the job done.

Who should I call?

When the heat is on—and so are the bugs—call AZ Best Choice Pest Control. We provide service to both the Phoenix metro area and Casa Grande. Our trained and experienced technicians have the skills and equipment needed to get the job done and kick insects and other pests out of your home. Schedule your free inspection with us today!

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/pest-control-2.jpg639960azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2016-04-19 13:27:022016-04-19 15:06:57Summer is the season for bugs—and pest control

As the saying goes, your home is your castle. If so, then your castle might be under siege, day and night, by a host of pests looking to invade. From roaches and rodents to scorpions and spiders, these unwelcome guests aren’t the type to ring the doorbell. If there’s a way in, they’ll find it.

It’s time to fortify your defenses. A home sealing from AZ Best Pest can help you secure your keep, by closing off most of the pathways insects and pests use to get into your house. While you can’t completely shut away your house from the outside world—after all, you need oxygen—it’s a great step toward a pest-free home.

Why get a home sealing?

You may not realize it, but your home—no matter how old—probably has minor imperfections. Small cracks in the foundation from the weight of the house settling. A front door that leaves a tiny gap. Deteriorating screens on exhaust vents. Sure, minor stuff to you. But, to the pests looking to march inside, it might as well be a superhighway.

When you let AZ Best Pest seal your home, we:

Dust all cracks and crevices prior to sealing.

Seal the Foundation.

Place insect monitors in the garage.

Seal the underside of door frames.

Seal underneath door thresholds.

Adjust weather stripping on doors.

Power dust attic space.

Seal around A/C lines.

Seal around A/C boxes.

Seal around Electrical boxes.

Seal around Cable boxes.

Seal around plumbing clean outs.

Seal around exterior plumbing entry.

Screen exhaust vents.

Power spray exterior.

Granulate perimeter and/or yard.

Dust block wall voids.

Dust & seal around plumbing under cabinets.

Dust exterior wall voids via switch plates.

Dust window tracks.

Dust cabinet false bottoms.

Why choose AZ Best Pest?

Our goal is to banish pests from your home—for good. If you find yourself counting scorpions instead of sheep to get to sleep, it’s time to give us a call.

Here are three other reasons to go with AZ Best Pest:

We offer a free home sealing inspection: At no cost to you, we’ll come out to your residence and inspect your home for leaks and gaps, and provide you with a detailed analysis of where and how insects and other pests are getting into your home. Even if you don’t decide to use our services, we’ll still provide you with some tips and pointers for solving your pest problems.

Our process involves 21 steps: We pride ourselves on being thorough, and leaving our customers with a pest-free residence. There are 21 different steps that form our home sealing service, and we make sure that all bases are covered.

We offer multiple options for different budgets: Pests have already invaded my home, you think. Now, they’re going to cost me a ton of money. AZ Best Pest offers several home sealing plans, so you can choose how much you can spend. We’ll work with you to pick the home seal that’s best for your house and your budget.

https://www.azbestpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/pest-control-scorpions.jpg582799azbestpests/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-azbestpest-new.pngazbestpests2016-02-17 10:52:412016-02-17 10:52:41Home sealing can help lock pests out of the house